College Admissions Essay: Rewind Fifteen Years Back

Breathing heavily, a million things run through my mind. I’m dying. I can’t feel my feet. My lungs aren’t taking in oxygen fast enough. However, the finish line and the satisfaction of knowing that I had gotten myself through three miles loom ahead. Clenching my fists, I force myself through the indoor track at JCC. The excitement and pride that I feel when I finally achieve my goal is indescribable.

Looking back at the years that I have completed in high school is a funny but a true life changer. If I was to go back to one year of high school I would want to go back to freshman year. One reason why I would want to go back to freshman year is to talk to myself. Another reason I would want to go back it tell myself to listen more. The last reason would to see if I could improve myself in any way.

Back in elementary school, I generally had a great distaste for everything science; I preferred math. Science seemed too simple and I disapproved of the slow-moving pace. One day a year the school hosted Science Matters Day, my favorite people, Scientists, were invited to visit; they brought all kinds of fun activities. One of my favorite memories of all has to be the day they made a hard-boiled egg sink into a bottle. The experiment was still simple, but it was different from anything we had ever done before. This experiment included the use of a flame to produce heat and create pressure. I thought it was interesting, and I was hooked.

“You know Kwesi, I only came to this country with forty bucks in my pocket and the clothes on my back and look where I am today.” -- words from my father I thought to myself the first time I saw a rifle plummet down to my head.

Every day, every one, in the world goes through a challenge, big or small. They affect and impact us significantly. They change the way we think, love, act, and approach or do things. Challenges either frighten or motivate us, but they are what make us the person we are today.

As I sit here assessing everything that I have already accomplished in my life, making the

It is not for the first time that I stand on the crossroads of making a much calculated decision. A judgment call, not a product of mere intuition but of much introspection, soul-searching and self-examination. When ever I find myself apt to embark on a new journey I look back to evaluate my-self; trace the sequence of events that ultimately lead me to a follow a particular path. In retrospect I find myself fortunate to have been groomed in an all-rounded education system. A system that transformed a child who was reluctant and shy to even engage in a conversation to someone who made it a passion to step-up on stage to educate others.

That brings me to this year, and it has been nothing short of a blessing. I didn’t do basketball for my senior year, just to get prepared for the vault. I worked out every other day in the winter, letting my body rest in between days and going as hard as possible when I was at the Y. I went two times a week to St. Louis, just to work on everything that I could for this vault season. My passion stemmed from my junior year, and with all the success I had, I just wanted more. I told myself Junior year that I would work as hard as possible over the offseason to get first place at that Illinois College meet. I wanted to show everyone that I could go from dead last my freshman year, all the way to winning the whole thing my senior year.

The first seven years of my life I had a great group of friends who loved me dearly. I went to a great school, and I had a very loving family. What I did not know is that my life would change in the blink of an eye. While I sat in my desk first grade year, the intercom came on and the lady said, “ Breanna Fair needs to check out.” When my family got home, I saw boxes packed with my family’s belongings. I wandered down the halls of Andalusia Elementary School and there were many thoughts running through my mind. What’s happening?Why did we move?Will I make a lot of new friends? At first I felt scared, but now I have attended Andalusia for almost twelve years and I could not be happier with the group of friends I have and the accomplishments

This forced me analyze my life thus far, to recognize my fears and what I hold dear. It’s only been sixteen (one month till seventeen) years in this carcass, but I already feel like an entire life has flown by. It was like a prerequisite of actually watching my life flash before my eyes. This project was nice to sit back and look at what a social mess I am (one of my most favorite pastimes). But also, only being sixteen, I don’t hold what many would believe to be true values, dreams, fears, and identity. Nevertheless, this is what I have so far.

My life hasn’t always been the easiest. In fact, I have gone through a lot for a typically high school student. Most of the things I went through, a lot of people haven’t. Yet, nobody is perfect right? In those four years, you may learn scholarly wise, but you also learn to grow up real quick. These four years in high school really made me think about the person I used to be, who I am today and who I want to be in the future. Your high school years really are the most important years of your life.

I loved my childhood. I loved the neighborhood I grew up in and the friendships I made even though they didn’t last forever like I expected. I loved running around barefoot with my sister, wrestling

“Volunteers are the only human beings on the face of the earth who reflect this nation's compassion, unselfish caring, patience, and just plain loving one another.”

I thought was fully prepared for college when I walked across the stage on June 1st, 2015, but I was completely wrong. College is a whole new lifestyle that you eventually learn to adapt to everyday. The advice you hear from parents everyday is something you take with you as you navigate throughout campus. Some of the previous advice my mother gave to me is the advice I should of listened to. Now that I am older and on my own, it’s up to me to figure out how everything works.

My childhood was fun I spent my mornings in the classroom, I started going school at the young age of 4, my afternoons were spent playing and hanging around my friends, and my evenings with my siblings and cousins. A couple of my cousins lived with us for a while during that time. My mom was the one caring for them since their parents were not around. When my aunt and uncle returned to claim their kids that is when my entire life would change forever. They came for their kids and were filing paperwork to move the United State of